Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Pros & Cons of my 90/20 Regimen, Part 2

Usually I post classy images on Tuesdays, but today I am going to continue my pros and cons for my 90/20 experience. On Sunday I wrote about my progress on both Weight Watchers and P90X. Based on the feedback from that post I decided to write my reviews on both programs over two days. Yesterday was all about Weight Watchers and I am focusing on P90X today! Again, please keep in mind that what I write is based solely on my experiences using the program. P90X works for me, but it may not work for you - many workout programs don't work for me!

Quick Info: P90X is a fitness program designed for working out at home. There are 12 DVDs in the set, each with different workouts. You can choose one of three programs for the 90 days; the Classic, the Crazy (haha it's for extreme athletes working out twice a day), and the Lean. Refer to the online schedule, follow the workouts, and in 90 days you will see a new you.

Why I chose it: I love to exercise and have worked out regularly my whole life. However, I need variety. Running hurts my knees and I get so bored doing it. I also can't afford a gym membership. Plus, the gym at work is small without TVs and is surrounded by mirrors. Motivating? Sure. Boring and awkward? Clearly. I tried Comcast On-Demand workouts and loved The Butt Bible and Jillian Michaels workouts, but Comcast cut them and now has horrible options. I barely broke a sweat on most of the workouts I tried. For me, that's saying something. I pride myself in my sweating ability, and these didn't cut it. Like I said in my post on Sunday, I heard P90X works and I got the DVDs for free, so I had no excuse for avoiding it.

Why I am sticking to it: I love the variety! While the workouts are getting easier they are by no means easy. I love the challenge and look forward to the day when I can do everything as fast as the people on the screen!

Pros: There is a great mix of cardio and weight training. My favorite workouts are more cardio-focused: Plyometrics, Core Synergistics, Kenpo X (Kickboxing), and Cardio. The Ab Ripper X is tough, but I am improving on those moves. Since I have bad knees there are a couple of moves I need to modify in some of the workouts, but not many. It's surprisingly easier on my knees than running, and I get better results! Also, no mater which workout I do I am a sweaty mess at the end!

I also love the amount of energy from working out regularly. Sure I have my sleepy days and sure my body is sore often, but that's natural.

Cons: I truly hate the Yoga DVD. It is 90 minutes and the first 45 are so repetitive I want to scream. Now that I am on my second 90-day run I may substitute the yoga for a cardio, but I'm not sure yet. I just really hate it. Don't get me wrong, I like yoga, but the P90X version is not enjoyable.

The other thing is that I am on the Lean program and Plyometrics is not part of it. My co-worker told me the Plyo workout is awesome so I do that twice a week after work as my second workout for the day. It's a fantastic sweat fest, I am a hot mess the whole time, and doing this workout helps me justify any weekend eating when I go over my points.

I do not have a pull-up bar so I modify with dumbbells and instead do lat pulldowns. It's not the same but I don't have any other option. I may look into getting bands, too. It's annoying having multiple sets of weights around the house and the stronger I get I want heavier weights!

I am sure most of you have heard the main pain of P90X: it is time-consuming. Yes, it is 7 days a week, and yes, it's about an hour for each workout. I wake up every work day at 4:30 or 4:45 to get my workout in, and plan my weekend days around them. Once I got into a routine it really wasn't bad to fit them in; in fact, as crazy as this sounds I can't imagine my days without these workouts! The 7th day you either do the Stretch DVD or flat out rest. I have done both or added a cardio workout on Sundays. It just depends on my energy, what I ate the day before, and how my body is feeling.

The worst thing about P90x is how hungry I get from working out. Obviously your body needs fuel, but it sucks that I am somewhat limited on WW to really fill up every day. It's very frustrating. I am not starving myself, but sometimes it sure feels like it! When the hunger pains come I eat fruit or protein to help. Honestly, the time, the early mornings, and the soreness are nothing compared to my constant hunger!

Tips:

[These are all my opinions. Please keep in mind that these opinions are coming from me: a 26-year old in Chicago, who loves to workout, wakes up early, works upwards of 10+-hour days on a regular basis, eats a lot on Weight Watchers, and has a social life. Basically, even if you work a lot and have a busy life you can do P90X!]

1) If you do not like to workout do not purchase P90X. Don't kid yourself; if you haven't stuck with workout classes at gyms or even just working out on a regular basis for an extended period of time, maybe do that first and then if you like working out, then invest in P90X. If you want the advertised results you have to do the program, which is 6-7 days a week. There is a second version of P90X now, so I think the first version (what I use) may be cheaper on Amazon or some other places online. I was lucky that I got it for free from my friend. He is a marathon runner and wasn't into the workout routine.

2) If you think you can't do it then you won't. You can modify moves and hit the pause button. Nothing is too tough if you tell yourself you can do it, and if you can't right away then keep working at it. There are a few moves that are super tough for me (I'm looking at you, Dreya Roll) but I keep pushing through because I'm a dork and enjoy competing with my brain. Again, I'm still a chubby sweaty gal and will be through the whole process. I am no fitness phenom and would never claim to be. It is tough for me, but I enjoy the challenge.

3) If you are seriously considering investing in the program but aren't sure if it's for you, check out YouTube videos on different workouts, go to the P90X website (beachbody.com) and search for your questions on the discussion boards, or ask me! I'm not an expert by any stretch of the imagination, but I would love to talk to you about it!

4) I didn't buy any of the supplemental junk advertised with the program. P90X supporters try to sell you products and such but they seem expensive for what they are. I went to GNC to get something cheaper yet similar to the P90X recovery drink; this jacked up dude sold me a huge tub of protein powder that I kept on top of my fridge, which made me feel like a douchy college guy. I used it all and didn't notice a difference. Now I get the small bottles of low-calorie gatorade (1 point per bottle!) if I need a boost after working out. That works better and is cheaper than the 3-point gross protein powder!

5) I wasn't sick during the 90 days that I did this the first time. If I get sick in these next 90 I will take a break, as I would recommend to anyone who works out regularly! Listen to your body!

Whew! That was quite a bit of info! Bravo for you if you read it all! Let me know if you want to talk more about P90X or Weight Watchers!